Kukla's Korner Hockey

That was a gutsy Buffalo win last night (2-1 in overtime) over division rival Montreal. There was a whole lot of hitting, yapping, pushing and shoving going on. Why we don’t see more of this nasty attitude from the Sabres is the subject of another conversation.

Having a threat like Mike Cammalleri off the ice for most of the game certainly made the task less formidable, but beggars can’t be choosers. And let’s not forget that Buffalo was missing its most potent point getter (Derek Roy, 35 points in 35 games) and goal scorer (Drew Stafford, 15 goals in 30 games). Stafford suffered a groin injury early, and it looks like he’s going to miss some time.

Great move by coach Lindy Ruff breaking up the Tyler Myers-Andrej Sekera pairing on the blue line. The 20-year old Calder Trophy winner seems better off with a stay at home veteran as his defense partner. Ruff felt that way during training camp when he originally played Shaone Morrisonn with Myers, but a poor start by the free agent acquisition put a damper in those plans. Let’s see if it sticks this time.

Big sigh of relief that Max Pacioretty is going to be OK after a scary moment when he took a slap shot to the chest. Forgive me if my heart rate shooting up from being terrified upon first seeing it was an overreaction, but it’s partly the fault of having a selective memory. Clint Malarchuk and Richard Zednik can attest to the fact that Buffalo can be a pretty risky place to play sometimes.

Things probably won’t be much more pleasant for the Sabres on Thursday when they play in Boston. Whatever they put in their pasta yesterday should be bottled up and brought with them on the trip.